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This past October on Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that represented a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a traditional canoe on Lifou in living memory, an event that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has spearheaded a project that seeks to restore heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an effort designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

This past July, he visited France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations shaped with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a time,” Tikoure explains. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, trade and tribal partnerships across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was born.

“The hardest part wasn’t cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he says.

Program Successes

The initiative aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to strengthen community pride and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has organized a showcase, published a book and supported the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Natural Resources

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where tree loss has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often use synthetic materials. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The vessels created under the initiative integrate traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time these subjects are offered at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

He traveled with the team of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Throughout the region, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage together.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to share a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

Before state and overseas representatives, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“We must engage local populations – especially people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Currently, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The core concept concerns community participation: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and who decides what happens on it? Traditional vessels is a way to start that conversation.”